NC restaurant owners bring new steakhouse to North Raleigh shopping center
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Local partners open Franko’s Prime steakhouse at Lafayette Village in North Raleigh
- Menu emphasizes steaks, seafood, classic starters and sides and domestic wines.
- Restaurant will hire about 40 staff and is expected to open by end of January.
A team of North Carolina restaurant owners are expanding their footprint in the central part of the state, bringing a new steakhouse to North Raleigh.
From Nunzio Scordo, Justin Bee, Keith LoGrande, Joe Farrell and Steven Hayes, Franko’s Prime will serve steaks, seafood and made-from-scratch dishes to customers at Lafayette Village.
Bee, Scordo and LoGrande are also partners on two Franklinton restaurants, Atlantic Prime Coastal Kitchen and Franko’s Italian Steakhouse.
“Both those restaurants have such a great following that we just knew that we could take that brand and expand,” Bee told The News & Observer in a phone interview.
The restaurant will move into the former Driftwood Cantina space at the shopping center, which is also home to Jubala Coffee and Bongiorno & Son.
“We always felt like this area needed a steakhouse,” Bee said. “The closest high-end steakhouse is at North Hills. And then it’s become apparent that it’s needed and wanted, because the buzz about this restaurant being open is like nothing I’ve ever seen.”
Bee, Scordo and LoGrande are not strangers to Lafayette Village. They met each other about 15 years ago when they were all working at the bygone Paparazzi restaurant, where Bee and LoGrande were bartenders, and Scordo was executive chef. Paparazzi later became the Italian restaurant Farina. The trio also worked together on Driftwood Southern Kitchen, also at Lafayette Village.
“This is all, like, full circle,” Bee said.
Franko’s Prime menu
The new restaurant will offer steakhouse staples such as filets, ribeyes and New York Strip, plus Wagyu options from Mishima Reserve, Bee said.
Appetizers and sides will include beef tartare, carpaccio, shrimp cocktail, a seafood tower, wedge salad, macaroni and cheese and potato tartiflette. Customers can also expect to see shrimp and grits on the menu.
California and other domestic wines will be spotlighted, and the restaurant will also serve craft cocktails.
“We’re looking for a warm, classic restaurant with really good service,” Bee said. “We pride ourselves on hospitality. We really try to go above and beyond to help out guests with what they are looking for or celebrating, or, you know, just to exceed those expectations.”
Franko’s Prime will be white tablecloth, but Bee said it’s not “fine dining.”
“I want to be kind of high-end casual, so to speak,” Bee said. “Like somebody can come in, in jeans and a polo, and feel totally comfortable, but you can also have a business meeting in suits and ties here as well.”
Franko’s Prime opening
Planning for the new restaurant, which will employ around 40 people, started about a year ago, and Bee said issues with permitting have delayed the opening.
But Raleigh diners won’t have to wait much longer to visit the steakhouse.
Franko’s Prime should be open by the end of January, Bee said. The restaurant will quietly open its doors before announcing publicly that it’s ready to serve.
The restaurant partners are also working on their fourth concept, Trattoria Franko, which is expected to open in Rolesville in the spring.
This story has been updated.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 1:24 PM.
